BBA: Nigeria’s Kevin and Nneka move closer to $200,000 prize
The exciting news is that two Nigerian housemates, Kevin and Nneka, have made it to the final top 5 and either of these might emerge as eventual winner when the curtain falls on the show. But there are challengers – Edward from Namibia has shown strong showing thus far and Emma from Angola and Nzamo […]
The exciting news is that two Nigerian housemates, Kevin and Nneka, have made it to the final top 5 and either of these might emerge as eventual winner when the curtain falls on the show. But there are challengers – Edward from Namibia has shown strong showing thus far and Emma from Angola and Nzamo from Malawi are no push over either.
The road to the top 5 had been winding and tortuous, especially for the Naija Pikin, Kevin, who could be likened to a proverbial cat with nine lives. On the Big Brother website, Kevin, 27, a graduate of English said he’s proud to be a Nigerian because Nigerians stand out and survive any situation. That was at the start of the show. His experience in the house has shown that he was right, and the Jos man was ‘Jostified’ as fellow housemates thought he was too nice to be nominated. Kevin stayed in the Big Brother Revolution house for more than 80 days, and only one housemate mentioned his name once all through their Monday nominations for a possible eviction.
However, the same man whose other housemates felt too good to be nominated was put up for eviction four times by Heads of House, and four times he survived, proving the bookmakers right that he might be the housemate to pick the revolution prize which has been doubled from 100, 000USD in previous editions.
The first time Kevin came up for eviction, it was Itai, the Zimbabwean housemate, who swapped him and his comrade-in-arm. Big Brother had introduced a twist to the game when the housemates were down to 16, which mandated housemates to play in twos. Should one be nominated for eviction, his/her comrade suffers the same fate. Kevin was paired with the Tanzanian, Elizabeth, whom he presumably later fell in love with. Itai had saved his fellow countrywoman, Kristal, who was paired with South African Quinn and replaced her with Elizabeth. Their first time on the firing line left them with the duo of Ethiopian Yacob and Ugandan Hannington. After 7 days of anxiety, it was Hannington and Yacob that got bounced.
Itai’s action angered Kevin, who swore to take Itai out by all means. He waited patiently for the opportune time to take his pound of flesh. But danger was still lurking for the guy whom fellow housemates had come to reckon with as a potential winner of the game. The next Head of House was the Mozambiquean Leonel, who quickly swapped Kevin and Elizabeth for himself and Nzamo whom he saved. Their second time on fire, the couple were against South African Quinn and Zimbabwean Kristal. When the time for eviction arrived, it was Quinn and Kristal that left the house. Big Brother announced the housemates have been liberated and would no longer play as comrades but as individuals from that point onward.
Unlike Nneka and Geraldine, fellow Nigerian housemates, Kevin bonded with all housemates’ right from the start. He established himself as a strong contender for the prize and wormed his way into the hearts of fellow housemates and Africa. In spite of the abuse, majority of the evicted housemates voted Kevin for the money. Some viewers across Lagos have said the race would be a tight one between Edward and Kevin while some thought it would be between Emma and Kevin. We have till tomorrow, to know who wears the crown.
20 of the 25 who started the race have since bid the Big Brother Revolution farewell and this week Africa has been voting to elect the winner of the biggest ever reality prize money in Africa. Nigeria’s votes, no doubt, will be shared between Kevin and Nneka, but given their individual performance on the show, Kevin’s chances seem brighter than Nneka’s. With the love shown to him across the continent, a Nigerian is set to win the Big Brother Africa prize for the first time in four seasons.
Speculators who felt the show would not resonate with the viewers at the beginning, given that one of its main attractions, the shower hour, had been expunged changed their mind as the show progressed. Moreover, housemates in the current season have been fabulous as well as diverse in character and attitude. Africa has been entertained, educated and thrilled beyond measure. Apart from a few flicks, the season has been devoid of moral and sexual scandals associated with previous editions. The organizers of the show also went the extra mile to compensate viewers for their money and time. Visitors to the house have been diverse ranging from film/music artistes to models, to health/football ambassadors.
Viewers in Lagos are unanimous that Kevin should be supported to bring home the money tomorrow, and achieve his life ambition of creating an entertainment empire, the reason for which he entered the show. One beautiful thing Kevin would have gained from this show is a possibility of a lifetime relationship on an international platform with the Tanzanian Elizabeth for whom he became lovelorn.
But because it is a revolution, Nneka may just emerge the winner, in which case a Nigerian would still have won. In spite of the negative reviews her activities in the house have attracted, Nneka is quite popular among the audiences. The revolutionary nature of the show will however ensure that viewers will be on the edge of their seats, with bated breath, until a winner is announced tomorrow.